Buckle.



PATENTED JAN. 24, 1905.

E. N. HUMPHREY.

BUCKLE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1904.

UNITED STATES Iatented J'ariuary 24, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST N. HUMPH REY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE RUSSELL MANUFACTURING CO.,

CORPORATION.

OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT, A

' BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 780,660, dated January 24, 1905.

Application filed. September 19, 1904. Serial No; 224,996.

T 0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST N. I-IUMPHREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful in vertical section as webbed; Fig. 3, a View in front elevation with the webbing applied to the lever, but not passed through the frame; Fig. I, a corresponding view in rear elevation; Fig. 5, a horizontal sectional view on the line a b of Fig.3 looking downward; Fig.

6, a detached perspective view of the buckleframe; Fig. 7 a perspective view of the blank from which the combined buckle-lever and webbing-socket is formed, the blank being partially developed.

My invention relates to an improvement in buckles of the type designed for use in connection with the suspender straps of cartridge-belts, though applicable for use in other situations, the object being to produce'a simple, reliable, strong, and effective buckle.

With these ends in view-my invention con sists in a buckle having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown I employ a buckle-frame, preferably made of cast metal and comprising a hori- Zontal upper bar 2, a corresponding lower bar 3, ends 44, and a suspension-bar 5, located midway between the upper and lower bars 2' and 3 and set back from their plane by rearwardly-extending lugs 5 5, formed midway of the inner faces of the said ends at 4. With such a frame I employ a combined buckle-lever and webbing-socket made from such a sheetmetal blank asshown by Fig. 7 which represents the blank partially developed. This part comprises a central portion or body 6, the upper edge of which is upwardly extended and then bent forward at substantially a right angle to form a gripping edge 7 which is preferably serrated. The respective ends of the gripping edge 7 are cut and turned inward to form leaves 8 8, which embrace the ends of the suspension-bar 5, whereby the combined buckle lever and webbing socket is pivotally mounted upon thebuckl'e-frame.

The sides or edges of the said body 6 are formed with-corresponding laterally-extend ing wings 9 9, which are bent forward and inward into a plane parallel with the plane of the said body, so as to bring their edges into opposition, whereby a socket open at its top and bottom, but closed at its ends, is formed for the reception of the webbing 10, which is secured in place by eyelets 11 11, passing through holes 12 12, formed in the wings 9 9, and through registering holes 13 18, formed in the lower portion of the body 6. The

socket thus produced has, as shown in Figs.

3 and 5, a break or joint in its front wall, but is made stiff enough for all purposes by the said eyelets, which bind the respective wings 9 9 with the body 6 of the buckle-frame.-

A buckle made in accordance with my invention may be cheaply produced, and by forming its gripping edge upon the combined buckle-lever and webbing-socket I secure the advantage of a sheet-metal gripping edge and a more effective gripping action than can be secured from prongs formed upon the suspension-bar of the frame or from isolated prongs struck out from the socket portion of a combined sheet-metal buckle-lever and webbing-socket designed to be used with a buckleframe of the general type herein shown. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the construction herein shown, but hold myself at liberty to make such departures therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a buckle, the combination with a buckleframe comprising a horizontal upper bar, a corresponding lower bar, and a suspensionbar located back of the plane of the said upper and lower bars; of a combined buckle-lever and Webbing-socket made from a single piece of sheet metal and consisting of a body portion, a gripping edge formed by extending the upper edge of the said body portion upwardly and then turningit forward at a right angle to the plane thereof, leaves located at the respective ends of the said gripping edge and bent forward to embrace the ends of the said suspension-bar to which the combined lever and socket is thus pivoted, and lateral Wings formed upon the side edges of the said body portion at points below the said gripping edge and leaves and bent forward and then inward to form a socket open at its top and bottom but closed at its ends for the reception of the end of the webbing; and eyelets passing through the said leaves into the said body portion for holding the webbing in the said socket.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ERNEST N. HUMPHREY.

WVitnesses:

STANLEY PARKER, SADIE L. FINNIGAN. 

